eli5 what are “natural flavors” and why aren’t they described exactly
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I used to do R&D at a place that made natural flavor ingredients. You already have some decent answers here describing what is legally a “Natural Flavor”. Here are some more notes.
These ingredients are typically produced and sold as single molecules. For example companies make benzaldehyde “naturally” and sell that to a flavor house. The flavor house then makes a blend of x number of ingredients and sells that to food manufacturer. Food manufacturer then puts “natural flavors” on the label. In that sense, the only difference between natural and artificial flavors is the source of the molecules.
Most of these compounds have been known for a long time and can’t be patented. The only IP protection the flavor house has is to not tell the customer what’s in it and dilute it in something like propylene glycol or ethanol. I assume that’s why the law allows for only putting “natural flavors” on the ingredients list, to protect the flavor houses (big ones are IFF, Firmenich and Givaudan). So often, the food manufacturer won’t even know what is in the flavor package they are buying.
About the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list. Many things on this list haven’t been tested for safety per se. That’s because they are found in food products we are already eating. For example, a lab finds compound Y in onions that is important for flavor. They go to the FDA and show evidence that humans have been consuming this compound at x concentration for centuries. FDA accepts the evidence and allows for use of this compound.
When people ask me about the safety of natural flavors, my only qualm is that you are using them to make crappy food taste good. There’s nothing wrong with eating a mixture of molecules found in tomatoes, but are you getting the benefit of eating an actual tomato? No.
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